


Ask Me Maybe

by swagumi



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Secret Admirer, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 04:18:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9531170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swagumi/pseuds/swagumi
Summary: I think you're cute :) -AnonymousKeith blankly stared at the lone message in his inbox; the gears in his brain came to a screeching halt. Who sent this? Why would they send this to him? Was it spam?An anonymous admirer sends Keith flirtatious messages to the inbox of his coffee blog, and he nearly goes insane because of it.





	1. Chapter 1

 

> _I think you're cute :) -Anonymous_

Keith blankly stared at the lone message in his inbox; the gears in his brain came to a screeching halt. Who sent this? Why would they send this to  _him_? Was it spam? There wasn't anything atta--

"Earth to Keith!" Hunk's outburst brought Keith out of his crisis, and he returned his attention to the video call he was having with Hunk. "What the heck just happened? You said you were going to check something on your blog and suddenly went pale."

Keith coughed and shook his head. "Oh, uh, someone sent me an anonymous message on my blog calling me 'cute'." He replied with a scowl.

"It looks like you have a secret admirer, Keith!" Hunk quipped and laughed when Keith covered his face in embarrassment. 

"Shut up!" Keith retorted with a pout. "I'm just going to ignore it."

Hunk gasped. "You're just going to leave this person hanging? That's so rude! At least reply."

Keith rolled his eyes. He diverted the cursor from the "delete" button to the "answer" one. He typed out a measly reply and hit send. "Are you happy now?" Keith grumbled.

Hunk clicked a couple things and frowned when he saw Keith's response. "'Um, thanks, I guess'?! What kind of response is that?" He asked incredulously. "You couldn't be nice if you tried."

Keith chose to ignore Hunk's comment with a shrug and proceeded to mindlessly browse the internet. Hunk and he talked for a little while longer, showing each other funny things they came across until he called it quits and went to bed. The anonymous message stuck to the back of Keith's mind; questions about where it came from began to arise from his subconscious. But it was probably a one-time thing; he didn't see a point in worrying about it anymore.

He rolled over in his bed and let out a sigh as he slowly fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

 The earsplitting screech of the train coming to a stop permeated the calm bass that flowed through Keith's headphones. He looked up at the few people who stepped out of the worn train into the uncomfortable summer heat. As Keith boarded the train, his music was interrupted by the  _ding_ of a notification. He sat down on an exhausted leather seat and checked his phone.

_"Anonymous sent you an ask!"_

Keith scowled as he tapped the alert and unlocked his phone. Is this the same person from last week?

> _You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream :) -Anonymous_

That smiley face at the end confirmed Keith's theory, it's the anon who told him that he was cute about a week ago. Why did it take them so long to send another message? Why send another message at all? What did this anonymous person gain when they send dumb pop song lyrics? The plethora of questions that arose from this one ask made Keith's head swell. 

He looked up from his phone to watch the factories and random buildings pass by outside the train window. He saw the same thing almost every day on the way to work, but Keith couldn't help resting his head on the glass and marveling at how the water in the river he passed over glittered from the sunlight. All the stressful and pressing questions that bounced around in his mind were discarded on the tracks as the moving landscape outside soothed him.

When the song on his phone changed, Keith brought his attention back to the device in his lap. He unlocked his phone and saw the unanswered ask stare back at him. Keith sighed, and tapped "answer".

_"Good to know...?"_

That's the best this random person is gonna get. Keith hit send and closed all his apps. He sucked his teeth when his music stopped, and reopened the app. After he chose a song, Keith locked his phone and continued to gaze out the window. As the train entered the tunnel and Keith saw his own reflection in the glass, he let his apprehensions regarding the anon slip his mind and lay to waste in the train terminal.

 

* * *

 

Keith stood at the counter of his job at the Castle of Coffee, staring at the pedestrians who passed by the front entrance in hopes of someone-- _anyone_ \--stepping inside to get a drink. The daily lunch rush had come and gone, and Keith was stuck at work all by himself.

Until Lance barged through the see-through door with Hunk on his tail. "Hey, Keith! Funny seeing you here!" He declared as he sauntered towards the counter. "I would like... a latte with some bomb ass lion foam art!"

Hunk visits the coffee shop all the time so he can see his girlfriend, Pidge, and occasionally brings Lance along if he's free. Lance is more Hunk's friend than Keith's, but Keith manages to tolerate him enough to joke around whenever he visits. Lance always demands ridiculous foam art for Keith to create on his lattes, which Keith doesn't  _completely_ mind; it's good practice. 

Keith side-eyed Lance, then turned to Hunk instead. "Hey, Hunk! Pidge isn't coming in until later tonight. What would you like today?" He asked.

"I'll have the usual." Hunk replied with a sweet smile.

Lance stared at Keith as he went to prepare Hunk's drink. "Seriously? What did I do to deserve such disrespect?" He asked with a pout.

"You know he does it out of love, Lance," Hunk said as he pulled Lance into a side hug. "Keith just shows it in a special way."

"'Out of love' my butt..." Lance mumbled under his breath, but his gloominess dissipated when Keith came back with two drinks. He gleefully took the small mug from Keith's hands and frowned slightly when he saw a cat made of foam instead of a lion.

"I can't make lions yet, so a cat is the best you're gonna get," Keith explained as he handed Hunk his flat white.

Hunk and Lance sat down at the small bar in front of Keith. The moment Lance got comfortable, he pulled out his phone and started taking a million pictures of Keith's creation.

Keith scowled. "What are you doing?" He asked as he watched Lance snap photos from ridiculous angles.

"What does it look like I'm doing?!" Lance shot back, not bothering to look up at Keith. "I'm taking fantastic pictures of your not-lion art so you can put it on your coffee blog. You're welcome."

"How do you know about my blog?" Keith looked at Lance with mild suspicion. He doesn't blabber about his blog all the time, so the fact that Lance knows about it got Keith's attention.

That question got Lance to stop taking pictures. "Uh, you told me about it...? Maybe Hunk mentioned it; I'm not sure." He replied.

The sound of his name brought Hunk to attention and he nodded to confirm Lance's statement. "I've probably talked about it to him before."

Keith blinked. "Oh, okay." He deadpanned. "Send me the good ones. And drink it before it gets cold..."

 

* * *

 

Keith posted a couple of the pictures that Lance sent on his blog right before Hunk and Lance left him to deal with the evening rush. When he returned home, he nearly threw his phone across the room when he saw a new message in his inbox.

> _I like you a latte :) -Anonymous_


	2. Chapter 2

"I cannot fucking  _believe_ they would send me such an offensive pun!" Keith growled. He had called Hunk after he got home and saw the message.

"I think it's clever!" Hunk said. "You specialize in latte art, so it makes sense. It's better than Katy Perry."

Keith sighed. "I would  _much_ rather be sent meaningless lyrics from stupid love songs!" He seethed.

"What are you going to say back?"

"How about, 'fuck you and your stupid puns'?"

"Keith, no." Hunk said flatly.

At that point, Keith was beginning to get over it and just sent a basic response. "There, I replied."

Hunk refreshed Keith's blog. "'Omfg.' Nice use of punctuation! It really proves your point." He commented.

"Shut up, Hunk." Keith retorted. "I'm gonna shower and just pretend that stupid thing never happened."

"Have fun with that." Hunk said and hung up the phone.

Keith dragged his hands down his face as he started up the shower. "Stupid anon and their ugly ass puns. What do they see in me, anyway?" He grumbled to himself as he stood under the hot water from the showerhead. "I'm just a regular guy who's trying to make coffee and survive; I don't need this bullshit in my life."

 

* * *

 

The Smiley Face Anon, which is the name Keith had begun to use for the anonymous flirter, stopped sending messages and Keith almost forgot about it. Eventually, Hunk stopped asking about the anon and they had declared that the fiasco was over.

Keith was getting ready for work one morning, but got distracted by the sound of his phone going off. He glanced at his phone screen to see what it was alerting him about.

_"Anonymous sent you an ask!"_

Keith rolled his eyes so hard they could've gotten stuck. It was stupid of him to think the Smiley Face Anon would actually leave him alone. He decided to open the message anyway.

> _You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be and I don’t wanna go home right now :) -Anonymous_

Ugh. Keith postponed responding so he could leave for work. 

The ridiculous ask wouldn't get out of Keith's head the entire train ride to the Castle of Coffee. Why did they stop sending asks for almost two weeks? This person just doesn't make any sense! What is the point of all the sappy song lyrics? If this person _actually_ liked Keith, there was no way something could work between them. Online relationships are difficult; Keith couldn't consider something like that...

Keith shook his head as he stepped off the train into the blinding summer sun. Nobody was planning on visiting him at work today. Hunk had some cooking class and Lance was... Lance. But Pidge would be there, so he won't be completely alone.

The comforting aroma of coffee welcomed Keith as he stepped into the coffee shop. Pidge was working by herself, frantically running around as she dealt with a wave of customers that had just come in. Keith wasted no time clocking in and coming to Pidge's aid with the multiple coffee orders.

After they had pleased all the customers and the Castle of Coffee went quiet, Pidge let out a sigh. "That's one way to start the morning." She commented as she tried to catch her breath.

Keith chuckled. "You would think you'd get used to it..." He sat down on a stool and ran his fingers through his hair. "This morning has been... weird."

Pidge's brow raised in curiosity. "Weird how? Did something happen before work?"

"Well, this weird person anonymously sent me song lyrics on my blog. They were doing it before, but they stopped for a couple weeks. Except, they decided to send me one this morning." Keith explained.

"They sent them to your coffee blog? Can I see?"

Keith nodded, and fished his phone out of his jacket pocket. "They've even sent me latte puns," he grumbled as he pulled up his blog. He handed Pidge his phone.

Pidge smiled and took Keith's phone in her small hands. She tapped a few things, mumbling to herself while Keith watched her.

"I can easily figure out their IP Address and where they life if you want. It wouldn't be hard." Pidge said as she handed Keith his phone back.

Keith frowned. He wanted to know who the Smiley Face Anon was, but that seemed like too much. "No, that's a bit weird. It's fine." He replied, shaking his head. 

Pidge shrugged. "If you say so," she said nonchalantly, "I'm here if you ever change your mind."

He wasn't ever going to change his mind; what Pidge suggested seemed like overkill. Keith looked at the still unanswered ask. He quickly tapped "answer", and typed out a rushed response.

_"Where did you go?"_

Keith hit send right as their manager, Shiro, came from the back to check up on them. "Everything good out here?" Shiro asked, and looked at Keith and Pidge.

The two nodded in unison, and Shiro returned to the back room to do whatever coffee shop owners do.

After Shiro left, Keith made sure his response sent and put his phone back in his jacket pocket so he could pay attention to the customers that had entered the shop. But Pidge's offer was still processing in his head. Find where they live? Was Keith really that desperate? What if it was some random person on the other side of the world? Then it wouldn't even matter, and the whole thing would've been a waste of time...

Keith tried to not let the whole thing get to him as he continued to make coffee all day.

 

* * *

 

> _Did you miss me? :) -Anonymous_
> 
> _You liked my pun? I thought it would brighten up your day/night. I won't disappear again, okay? I'll always be here for you :) -Anonymous_

Keith had just gotten to the train station after work, and  _that_ was the first thing he had to read. The weird junk the anon was sending was beginning to piss Keith off. "I'll always be here for you"? Where is this person getting this mushy crap from, a Disney movie? He was sick and tired of this ridiculous Smiley Face Anon, regardless of whatever cute song lyrics and pickup lines they send.

The sound of the incoming train drowned out Keith's inner thoughts. He quickly got on and found a seat by a window. As the train exited the tunnel, the vibrant sunset got Keith thinking. Whoever's sending those dumb messages must be messing with him. The person behind the whole thing is probably some jokester with nothing better to do. Why someone would mess with him like this is beyond him, but Keith realized that getting frustrated over it was pointless. Instead, he should be having fun with this weirdo. 

So Keith unlocked his phone and typed out his two replies.

_"To be honest, not really."_

_"How cute. The pun was terrible, though."_

This wasn't going to last; why should Keith stress himself over it? All he had to do was wait the anon out until they lose interest and leave him alone.

Keith marveled at the early evening sunset. The blend of oranges, yellows, and purples in the sky bled into the wispy gradient clouds. Keith tried his hardest to take a decent photo of the sky in the moving train, and sent a couple of the good ones to Hunk. As he was typing, he saw that someone had sent him an ask. Keith groaned, and tapped the notification.

> _You didn't like my romantic pun? Maybe you'd prefer something a bit more... personal, perhaps? :)_ _-Anonymous_

Keith frowned. What does that even mean? Whatever this anon was thinking, Keith didn't like it one bit. He cautiously typed out a reply.

_"...Personal how?"_

He was able to enjoy the rest of his train ride home without interruption, which resulted in Keith falling asleep and almost missing his stop. After he stumbled off the train, Keith let out a sigh and began the silent walk home.

When Keith got home, he instinctively checked his blog inbox.

> _Telling you ruins all the fun :) -Anonymous_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> keith would get extremely offended by puns and you can't convince me otherwise (also im sorry that shiro probs wont show up again lmao)
> 
> damn this fic is already 1/3 done! who would've thought that being home sick would make me more motivated to write? i hope you're enjoying this fic so far!


	3. Chapter 3

Keith was on edge the next day; he was waiting for the Smiley Face Anon to send another ridiculous message. He didn't know  _why_ the lack of a dumb quote in his inbox made him upset, it just  _did_. He was just starting to not hate the anon; why would they just ignore him like that?! The audacity of--

The sudden jerking of his arm brought Keith back to reality. "You almost walked into that poor girl back there!" Hunk admonished Keith for being so clueless. Lance, Hunk, and Keith were walking through the active streets in the city to grab lunch. Lance suggested this "amazing burger place", so Hunk and Keith blindly followed behind him, minding the obnoxious cars and brutal heat.

"I get that you're pressed about your precious Smiley Face Anon not sending you a cute message to warm your frosted heart, but you don't have to shut down over it." Hunk said as he blocked the punch Keith attempted to throw to his arm.

Keith brushed his bangs off his sweaty forehead. He was about to make a weak comeback, but Lance suddenly stopped walking, which made Keith nearly collide with his back. "Why do you always abruptly stop like that?" Keith asked with a scowl. 

"We're here!" Lance announced, gesturing to the shop on their right. He quickly stepped inside; Keith and Hunk reluctantly followed behind him with their eyebrows raised in concern.

The "restaurant", cleverly named Kalte-Burger, was extremely small; there was barely enough room for the ridiculously long line, high counter, and the display of options. Expecting a painstakingly long wait, the trio squeezed into the line and looked at the menu options.

After they made their decisions and the conversation between them died, Lance nudged Keith. "So... Keith, who is the 'precious anon' that Hunk was talking about, huh? Does someone actually find you attractive?" He inquired with a grin.

Keith's eyes widened, and Hunk couldn't stifle his chuckles. Keith neglected Lance's question by looking away and covering his burning cheeks with his hands. "That's none of your business..." He mumbled with his hands still on his face.

"Some anonymous person keeps sending Keith pick-up lines and song lyrics on his blog. It's actually kind of cute." Hunk explained, "I don't get why Keith gets all in his feelings when he gets a message. Apparently, he gets in his feelings when he doesn't get one too..."

"Shut up, Hunk!" Keith exclaimed, and attempted to push Hunk out of the line. Hunk didn't budge, which exasperated Keith even more. "You don't understand, Lance. They send cliche garbage and cheesy coffee puns all the time! It's just so... ugh!"

"Woah there Keith. Calm down before you pop a blood vessel from blushing too hard," Lance quipped. "Besides, pick-up lines are pretty clever. I'd consider it a compliment."

Keith groaned. "Of course you would say that. Only a weirdo like you would actually try to use that kind of crap on people. I bet you use most of the dumb things this person sends me in real life." Keith scoffed.

Lance was slightly taken aback by Keith's statement, but he quickly fixed his face. He glanced at Hunk who met him with a concerned look. 

After that, Lance dropped the topic and was mostly silent while they ordered their food and took it back to Hunk's apartment.

 

* * *

  

> _My 11:11 wish is for you to be happy and safe. :) -Anonymous_
> 
> _If I could shoulder all of the hurt and heartbreak you've felt in your life, I would in a heartbeat. You deserve happiness, and fuck, I wish I could deliver :) -Anonymous_
> 
> _Every time I think about you, a ridiculous grin finds its way onto my face and my friends tell me I'm blushing. I wish I could be in your arms and cuddle as we watch TV or fall asleep under the stars :) -Anonymous_

The messages were getting more and more in-depth and personal and were plaguing Keith's inbox at least twice a day. The Smiley Face Anon was getting the better of Keith, and he resented the way they made him feel. He began to crave the sweet nothings the anon would tell him, but he felt apprehensive about the anonymity of the whole situation. Keith just wanted to know  _who_ felt this strongly about him...

Keith was lying on the worn brown couch in his stuffy studio apartment, staring blankly at competitive cooking shows on his miniature TV. It was so excruciatingly hot outside that Keith's brain was melting. The fans were blowing warm air at his tingling skin, and he wiped his forehead on the inside of his tank top for the millionth time. He was too busy evading heat stroke to talk to anybody, regardless of how many times Hunk tried to call his cell.

But when he felt his phone vibrate, Keith instantly woke up from his quasi-coma to check his notifications.

_"Anonymous sent you an ask!"_

Anxiety stung Keith's chest, and he mentally kicked himself for caring so much. He shamefully opened the ask anyway. 

> _I don't want to keep my identity a secret, I swear. I just know that if I came off anon, you'd think badly of me and I really don't want that. Can we just stay how we are? :) -Anonymous_

The stupid smiley face at the end slapped Keith in the face. He sat up to create a coherent reply.

_"There is NOTHING you could be that would affect how I feel about you at this point. Gender, race, sexuality, whatever. I don't give a shit. I just want to know who you are. It's hard to have feelings for someone without even knowing their name!"_

Keith grumbled to himself as he typed the reply and hit send without thinking about his response.

His eyes widened when he realized his mistake. Keith frantically tried to delete his response, but paused right before he hit "delete". He tapped the "edit" icon instead.

_"There is NOTHING you could be that would affect how I feel about you at this point. Gender, race, sexuality, whatever. I don't give a shit. I just want to know who you are. ~~It's hard to have feelings for someone without even knowing their name~~ "_

The message was still legible with the strikethrough, but Keith felt it was better than lying to the anon about why he wanted to know they were so badly. Frankly, this mystery person made Keith feel a lot less dead inside, and he couldn't just brush that off like it was nothing. One could even claim the sweet messages made Keith  _happy_.

At this point, Keith's brain had short-circuited from the deadly heat and his stupidity, so he fell back down on the couch and decimated the water that was left in his water bottle. He brought his phone back up to his face so he could reread all the messages from the Smiley Face Anon. It had become a habit to read through their conversations when he was bored or he hadn't received a message in a while.

Keith sucked his teeth at how pathetic he was and stared up at the ceiling. "I'm so fucked..." He muttered to himself.

 

* * *

 

"This is a  _really_ bad idea, Pidge."

"We're helping Keith out! He just doesn't know it yet." Pidge reassured Hunk as she typed away on her laptop. 

Hunk and Pidge were sitting together in Hunk's dimly lit apartment; Pidge was lying in Hunk's lap as she tried to figure out who Keith's Smiley Face Anon truly was. Keith was openly against figuring out the anon's identity, but Pidge was way too curious to resist and there was nothing Hunk could do to convince her otherwise.

"These poorly made websites are so easy to get into; I could've done this forever ago," Pidge commented with a snarky grin. After she had clicked a few things, she gently poked Hunk's side with her elbow to get his attention. She moved over so Hunk could see the address that she had highlighted on her laptop monitor. "Do you recognize this address?" She asked Hunk. "They live in the area which is... convenient."

Hunk opened his eyes and lifted his head off of Pidge's to getter a better view. "I'm pretty sure... It looks familiar." Hunk mumbled. 

Pidge rolled her eyes. "C'mon Hunk, think!" she said impatiently.

"I'm trying!" Hunk shot back, and squeezed his eyes shut. He massaged his temples as if it would help him search his mind. "It's obviously not Keith's or either of our addresses 'cause none of us live on that street. Ugh, it's on the tip of my tongue, I just can't get it out!

"It's Lance's address!" He exclaimed triumphantly. But his proud smile fell when he processed that information. "It's... Lance's address?!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!!!! (it's not really that dramatic cause we already knew that lmao)
> 
> we're halfway through!!! i hope you guys like it so far. little disclaimer: Pidge is older than she is in the series (i don't support pedophilia...). 
> 
> so, yeah! expect the next chapter in a few weeks. If you see any mistakes or have CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, don't be afraid to let me know!! i want to improve my writing in any way i can.


	4. Chapter 4

"You have to talk to him."

"Why me?!" Hunk asked dubiously.

Pidge sighed, and put her laptop on the couch in front of her. She rotated in Hunk's lap so she was looking at his face. "You know him better than I do; it has to be you," she began to explain, placing her hands on Hunk's face. "Lance needs some help, and something needs to happen before Keith goes insane because he can't figure out that the Smiley Face Anon is Lance."

Hunk took Pidge's hands from his face and interlocked their fingers. He grumbled, "I'll talk to him."

"Send him a message now."

Hunk looked at Pidge incredulously. "N-now?!" He looked at the time on his phone. "It's almost 2 a.m.!"

She rolled her eyes, and took Hunk's phone from his large hands. "I'll do it myself then!" Pidge declared as the phone recognized her fingerprint and she navigated to the messaging app. She opened the conversation with Lance; her fingers hovered over the keys as she contemplated what to send.

 

_< <Are you the smiley face anon?_

 

Satisfied with her brief message, Pidge hit send and handed the phone back to Hunk. "There! Not that hard," She said calmly as she turned around to place her laptop back on her lap.

Hunk fumbled with the phone in his hands. He let out an anxious whine when he saw what she had sent. "That's so direct! I would never be that upfront... There's no way Lance would ever think that I se--"

His panicked rambling was silenced by the sound of a cash register coming from his phone. Lance had responded.

Pidge grabbed the phone before Hunk could start blathering about Lance's text. She read the message and frowned. "All he said was, 'what?'," she announced flatly. She sent a message back before Hunk could take the phone from her.

 

_< <You know, that anonymous person who keeps sending Keith asks. Is that you?_

 

Hunk yanked the phone out of Pidge's hands right after she hit 'send'. "So what if he actually admits it? What are we gonna do with him?"

" _You_ are going to talk him into confessing to Keith before he falls apart." Pidge replied with a grin.

He groaned when his phone made a noise. It was Lance again.

 

_... >>_

_How did you find out?! >>_

 

"What did he say?!" Pidge pulled Hunk's phone out of his hands again to read the messages. "Call him," she demanded.

"What?"

"Call Lance!" She repeated. "You're going to talk to him now and I'll just act like I'm not here," Pidge explained in that mischievous tone Hunk knew too well.

Hunk sighed as he dialed Lance's number.

 

* * *

 

Keith breathed in the familiar scent of coffee beans as he pushed through the transparent door at the Castle of Coffee. He strolled around the front counter and put his apron on with a content smile on his face.

Pidge was already working, and she glared at Keith in disbelief as he entered the shop. "You've been acting really unlike yourself lately, is everything okay?" She asked as Keith got ready.

He frowned. "What do you mean?" Keith asked cautiously.

"You're just not your bitter, moody self. Is it because of that Smiley Face Anon of yours?" Pidge quipped with a sly grin.

Keith's expression immediately changed, and Pidge burst into laughter as his face heated up. "Of course Hunk told you about that... I thought you guys would've forgotten all about it!" He grumbled as he placed his clammy hands on his scarlet cheeks.

"So you two still talk, huh?" Pidge inquired.

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

Pidge raised an eyebrow. "You guess?"

He was about to attempt to defend himself, but the chime of the front door opening interrupted their chat.

"Lance has arrived! Make way for the Latte King!" Lance announced as he barged through the shop door. Hunk walked in shortly after with an embarrassed smile.

Keith sighed, completely missing the look Pidge shot at Hunk. "Hey Lance," he greeted apathetically. "What do you want this time?"

Lance sauntered up to the counter and pulled out his phone. He looked at it for a while, then showed Keith a picture of someone else's art that had a heart with waves around it. "This!" He declared.

Keith took the phone from Lance to get a better look; he tried not to overthink the feeling that went over him when his calloused fingers brushed Lance's smooth ones. He scoffed, "it's unusual for you to pick something so easy, but I'll do it." Keith handed Lance's phone back before he turned around to prepare his drink. 

As he worked, Keith could hear Pidge, Hunk, and Lance whispering to each other at varying volumes. Whenever he would turn around, the three of them looked back at him like nothing was wrong. He knew something was going on between them, but there was no way Keith could decipher what it was. Clearly it wasn't something that important; they would've let him in on what was wrong. So Keith didn't overthink it. 

Eventually, a customer came in, and the whispering stopped briefly so Pidge could take their order. Pidge gave Keith a weird look when they made eye contact. Keith looked to the counter at Lance and Hunk still talking and back at Pidge, trying to ask her, "what were you talking about?" with his eyes.

She got the message and whispered, "nothing important; don't worry about it."

Keith nodded and finished making Lance's drink. When he started working on the foam, Keith could feel someone staring at him. He looked up at the front of the shop and accidentally made eye contact with Lance. Lance smiled sheepishly, trying to make it look like he totally wasn't admiring Keith as he worked. Keith, being himself, took the bait and simply smiled back. 

Keith brought Lance's latte to him around the same time Pidge delivered hers to the customer. He looked around the Castle of Coffee and frowned when the only person he could see was the consumer leaving. "Where did Hunk go?" Keith asked.

"Um, he went to the bathroom I think," Lance answered, looking up from his phone. He had developed a habit of taking a bunch of pictures of the drinks Keith made for him. At first, Keith thought it was kind of weird, but over time he found it somewhat endearing.

"Oh. I didn't even notice him leave," Keith commented.

"You don't notice a lot of things." Lance grumbled as he took a sip of his drink. He quickly put it down when it burned his tongue.

"Whad'ya say?" Keith cupped one of his ears and leaned close to Lance's face with a smug grin.

"I SAID YOU DON'T NOTICE A LOT OF THINGS!" Lance yelled directly into Keith's ear and laughed when he jumped back.

Keith glared at Lance as he covered his poor ear. "Ha ha, very funny," he deadpanned. "Just shuddup and finish your coffee." 

After a while of idle chat and comfortable silence with Hunk nowhere to be found, Keith began to worry. "Is Hunk okay...? He's been in the bathroom for a really long time." He wondered aloud.

That comment alerted both Lance and Pidge, which was even more concerning. "He's probably fine; I wouldn't worry about it." Lance replied, nervously looking down at his phone.

The Inspector Gadget theme song started playing out of nowhere, causing everyone to jump. "Oh, that's my phone," Pidge said with an embarrassed chuckle as she dug around in her pocket while Keith and Lance watched her with confusion. She checked the caller ID and answered the call right before it stopped ringing.

"Hi mom!" She said into the phone, shrugging when the boys gave her a quizzical look. "I'm at work right now, but I think I have time to chat. What's up?" Pidge continued to talk to her mom as she slowly walked into the break room. She turned around to Lance and Keith and mouthed, "I have to take this," as she walked backwards. She gave Lance a weird look right before she disappeared.

Keith looked at the door, then back to Lance. "What was that all about?" He asked, pointing to the door.

"Her mom called; you can't blame her," Lance answered with a shrug. 

This whole situation was really weird. Hunk had "gone to the bathroom" over 15 minutes ago, Pidge's mom called her out of nowhere and she decided to answer even though she was working, and now Lance and Keith were by themselves in the uncomfortably quiet Castle of Coffee. Lance was on his phone like nothing was wrong. Keith wasn't a detective or anything, but there was definitely something that he was missing out on.

"Hey, Lance?" Keith began.

"Hey, Keith?" Lance said at the same time.

They both chuckled nervously. "You go first," Keith and Lance said in unison again, which only caused them to laugh more.

"Okay, okay. You first." Keith beat Lance to the punch.

Lance took a deep breath. He was rubbing his hands together in his lap under the counter, and could barely make eye contact with Keith. "Would you like to, like, go to lunch together sometime? Like, just the two of us?"

"...What?" Keith sputtered. That was the last thing Keith could ever think Lance would want to ask.

"Do you want to go out with me?" Lance repeated, with more confidence this time.

Keith blinked a few times in surprise. Lance McClain, the biggest flirt Keith has ever known, just asked  _him_ on a date. And he's  _actually_ nervous about it. Where was this even coming from?

"Why?" Keith was at a complete loss for words. Naturally, he missed all of Lance's very subtle hints, so he saw this as odd and unprecedented.

"What do you mean? I think you're cute and I want to go on a date with you." Lance's anxiety was being replaced by mild irritation.

Keith was still trying to wrap his head around this whole situation. Lance was expecting a response, but he didn't know what to say. Should he just say yes? Should he turn him down and pretend like the whole situation never happened?

 _Fuck it_ , Keith thought to himself. "Uh, sure," he said aloud.

Seeing Lance light up from his answer made Keith's stomach churn. "Really? You're saying yes?"

Keith wiped his sweaty palms on his pants to place them on his warm cheeks. "Yes, dammit!" He replied with an embarrassed pout. "I don't mind goin' on a date with you, I guess."

"You're off around one tomorrow, right? I can meet you at your place!" The words were flying out of Lance's mouth, liberated from their anxious prison. He coughed to regain a bit of his composure. "Is that, like, okay with you?"

"Yeah, that sounds fine. Don't be late, or I just might change my mind," Keith answered. He felt like someone had just hurled a heavy weight at his chest. He's going on a date.  _Tomorrow_. With  _Lance_! He still couldn't believe it.

"Awesome. It's a date!" Lance said with a wink.

As if on cue, Hunk returned from the bathroom and Pidge came out of the break room. Keith looked at Hunk, then Pidge, then Lance, and back at least five times.

"Y'all set this whole thing up behind my back!" Keith concluded. "Hunk goin' to the 'bathroom', Pidge's 'mom calling', it was all an elaborate scheme to trick me!"

Hunk held his hands out defensively. "Slow down, Keith. I admit, Pidge and I wanted to give you two some privacy, but it wasn't a prank," Hunk explained slowly.

"Yeah," Lance chimed in, "I really do want to go out with you."

Keith glared at Lance, Pidge, and Hunk, then sighed. "I can't believe I didn't truly realize somethin' was up until it was too late," he muttered to himself.

"You really don't notice a lot of things." Lance quipped, his nervousness completely gone.

"Shut up!"

 

* * *

 

The second Lance and Hunk left the Castle of Coffee, Keith assaulted Pidge with questions as they cleaned up together. He was  _still_ wrapping his head around the whole thing.

According to Pidge, Lance texted Hunk for advice on asking Keith out a few weeks ago, and she just happened to be there. It took Lance a while to muster enough courage to go through with the plan because he was so nervous. Hunk brought Lance to the Castle and they executed their perfect plan with no incident. 

Pidge neglected to mention how Hunk and she traced his IP Address and forced Lance to confess, but that was a miniscule detail that Keith could live without knowing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((i will fight anyone who tries to tell me that keith's accent wouldn't come out when he's super angry or embarrassed))
> 
> Sorry this took so long! I hit a little rut... but I'm back in action! I hope y'all didn't forget about this little thing. Hopefully, the next update will be around a lot sooner.  
> One reason this took so long was because my first draft didn't portray how Keith and Lance would go about this whole scene accurately, so I had to basically scrap the whole second half of the chapter and almost start from scratch. This scene was suuuper important, so I couldn't just bullshit it. I also wanted to try and draw it out a little to add some suspense. It was way too quick and casual the first time around... The final version feels a lot more in character, but I dunno. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Keith anxiously paced around his apartment; Lance was almost ten minutes late and Keith was starting to regret his decision. The sound of his phone going off finally got him to stop, and he frantically pulled it out of his pocket. Lance had texted him saying he's outside. Took him long enough. Keith took a deep breath as he stepped out of his apartment and made his way outside.

Naturally, Lance was nowhere to be found. Keith stepped out onto the sidewalk and looked across the street for his 'date'. There was no arrogantly flirtatious soul to be found outside. He groaned and turned around to go back into his complex, grumbling about Lance getting his hopes up for no damn reason. As he stomped away, Keith bumped into somebody, but he quickly apologized without looking at who he had run into. 

"No worries!" Lance replied with a smirk. "Us bumping into each other was practically fate!"

"What the fuck?!" Keith exclaimed, enamored by Lance's sudden appearance. "You scared the shit outta me! Where'd you even come from? I looked up and down the street and didn't see you!"

All Lance could do was let out a laugh. "It's nice to see you too! Sorry, I'm a little late." He completely ignored Keith's bewilderment and wrapped one of his arms around Keith's shoulder to pull him closer. "There's this really cool cafe that I wanna show you," Lance began as he took Keith's hand to lead the way, "Their coffee obviously doesn't compare to the Castle of Coffee's, but it's pretty decent. And their scones are really good."

Keith was completely perplexed by the whole situation, but blindly followed Lance's lead anyway. He eventually got over himself and sped up a little to walk next to Lance. As they walked, Keith looked down at their intertwined hands. "Um, you can let go now..." he muttered sheepishly.

"Why? Do you want to get away from me that badly?" Lance joked and gently squeezed Keith's hand.

Keith frowned; his face felt warm. "That's not what I meant!", he retorted, "I thought you were just holding my hand to like, pull me along, or whatever."

"I'm holding your hand because I like holding hands. If it seriously bothers you, I can let go."

"No!" Keith replied embarrassingly fast. "I mean, I guess I don't mind it."

Lance grinned and swung their arms between them as they walked.

The walk to the cafe was a lot less awkward than Keith had anticipated; Lance and he got to discuss a lot of things as they ambled down the bustling streets. The two of them almost never hang out with each other when Hunk isn't around, so the opportunity allowed Keith to learn a lot more about Lance. Keith just assumed Lance was some lazy guy that didn't do much with his life, but he learned that Lance was studying to be a pilot and actually had a solid life plan. The passion in his voice was nearly tangible as he went on and on about planes and flying; Keith couldn't help but listen and notice how cute Lance can be when he isn't being his weird, flirty self.

"So I ducked under the overhang like a boss and-- oh! We're here!" Lance interrupted himself and led Keith into the small shop, still holding hands.

Keith reluctantly followed Lance through the plastic doors. He never really went to cafes other than the Castle, but the brick walls and soft jazz music were a change of pace. The shop was smaller than the Castle of Coffee and was filled with antique furniture and wooden decorations. It smelled like coffee, but not the kind that Keith was used to. The scent of coffee grounds was mixed with something sweet, like pastries. It made Keith feel at home, in some weird way.

Lance brought Keith to the ordering counter but stepped back so he could see the menu overhead. "Do you know what you want?" He asked. "I get the same thing every time I come here."

"I always order a black iced Americano anywhere I go. I don't really know what I want to eat, though." Keith replied, sifting through the menu.

"Well, I recommend the chicken flatbread," Lance suggested as he stepped in line with Keith.

Keith searched the menu for the flatbread so he could see what it was. "Doesn't sound too bad; I'll try it" he said with a shrug.

"Cool! Find somewhere to sit, I'll pay."

"...You don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do. I asked you out so I'm going to treat you."

Keith rolled his eyes as he turned to find a seat by a window. He took the opportunity to check his phone. Hunk had texted him _15 times_. Keith groaned as he read through them all.  

 

>>  _How's it going?_

_> > Has he pissed you off yet?_

_> > You're not reading these... does that mean it's going well?_

_> > Lance can actually be nice when he wants to_

_> > I hope he's treating you alright_

_> > Where'd he end up taking you??_

_> > Keeeeeeiithhhh!!!_

_> > Are you alive?_

_> > Maybe if I keep texting you you'll stop gazing into Lance's eyes and check your phone_

_> > I'm just praying you're not dead_

_> > What if you got mugged? Lance can't fight for his life_

_> > You can fight, right? I hope so..._

_> > Now I'm getting worried_

_> > KEITH! TELL ME YOU'RE NOT DEAD!!_

_> > I've always loved you, man. I hope you know that._

 

Hunk's panicked texts were actually kind of funny. Keith texted him back so he could stop freaking out.

 

_< < I didn't get mugged. Lance took me to a cafe (of course). You're right about him being nice when he wants to be. I'm waiting for the food now._

 

Keith got a response almost immediately.

 

_> > OH THANK GOD!!_

 

Keith couldn't help the audible chuckle that escaped his lips. Hunk never failed to make him laugh. When his phone vibrated again he tried to guess what crazy thing Hunk's been panicking about. He probably thought Lance and Keith got abducted by aliens.

 

_> > You weren't replying to me, which is super rare. Naturally, I panicked._

_< < I didn't even notice my phone going off..._

_> > So you're having fun? Or are you just not at his throat yet?_

_< < I guess he's alright. He isn't always a weirdo, which is nice I guess_

_> > Lance is a lot cooler than you think! I'm glad you're alive, though._

_< < He's back with food. Pray for me._

 

Keith put his phone down as Lance walked over with drinks in hand. "I couldn't carry it all, so here's your drink." He explained as he placed Keith's Americano in front of him and jogged off to get the rest.

Keith looked at the coffee sitting in front of him. He felt like he was committing treason against the Castle... He took a few pictures of the drink before taking a cautious sip. It wasn't half bad actually.

When Lance came back around the corner, he was awkwardly trying to hold the two trays in his arms. Keith quickly got up to help him out, and Lance let out a sheepish laugh as he tried to hand Keith his food. "I wasn't in the mood to make another trip..." Lance mumbled as the two sat down at their table.

"Of course," Keith grumbled with a sigh. He looked down at the food he had ordered and immediately snapped a couple pictures of his meal for the blog. Everything looked pretty good.

Both Lance and Keith were mostly silent as they ate. After a while, Lance reached across the table to steal a bite of Keith's food but was met with a reflexive slap to the hand. 

"Okay then..." Lance commented as he pulled his hand away.

Keith frowned. "I don't just let people eat my food," he explained, "I'll let you have some of mine if I get some of yours."

"Technically, all this is mine because I paid for it," Lance replied with a smirk.

"Shut up." Keith rolled his eyes as he took the uneaten half of Lance's sandwich and took the largest bite possible. "'s pretty good," he attempted to say with a mouth full of sandwich.

"Hey! That was like, half of my precious grilled cheese!" Lance exclaimed as Keith put what was left back on his plate.

"You didn't tell me how much I could have; I utilized the opportunity." Keith took a sip of his coffee.

Lance rolled his eyes and grumbled something under his breath. "Whatever, let me get some of your flatbread." He said as he picked the food up from Keith's plate. Instead of taking one bite, he  nibbled from different places. As he took his final bite, Lance stared Keith in the eye as he bit off the biggest piece he could.

"You're disgusting." Keith deadpanned.

"I was utilizing the opportunity!" Lance shot back. 

Keith glared at Lance as he took back the remains of his flatbread.

The two went silent after that as they continued to eat. Keith hated silence; he searched for something to talk about, but nothing relevant popped into his head. Well, there was one thing. There was a single question that was aching to be answered. But he knew that asking it would only make things awkward, and Keith didn't want that. Frankly, he was enjoying his time with Lance and was afraid of ruining the whole thing.

"I need to ask you something; it's been buggin' me for a while now," Keith rushed the words out of his mouth without thinking. He was going to regret this.

"Oh?" Lance responded cautiously, "What's up?"

Fuck. Keith let out a sigh. He had to say it; backtracking would only make things worse. "Why?"

"Why what?"

Keith cleared his throat. This was so much more difficult than it should've been. "Why did you ask me out of all people? I'm always mean to you and shit."

"Because I thought you were cute and wanted to take you out," Lance took a bite of his grilled cheese sandwich. "That's it." He said as he chewed.

"I'm not taking that as a valid answer. You said that to me yesterday; I want a real answer."

"What do you mean?"

Keith rolled his eyes. "What's the actual reason? Give me the long answer. Start from the beginning."

Lance took a long sip of his drink, thinking of what to say. "When I first met you, I thought you were cute, but you were kind of a dick. The only stuff I knew about you was whatever Hunk told me, but he didn't really tell me much. But the main thing that I remember is when he told me that you like latte art. So I was like, 'I'll be the judge of that!' and asked him to take me with him to the Castle of Coffee. 

"To be honest, I fell in love with the lattes first. They always looked so pretty, and they tasted great, too. I still haven't gone to a coffee shop with lattes as good as yours." Lance rubbed the back of his neck and let out an embarrassed chuckle. "I would always ask Hunk to go to the Castle with me, but a lot of the time you weren't there."

"Why didn't you just come by yourself?" Keith asked. He  _definitely_ wasn't expecting an answer like this.

"'Cause you actually talked to me when Hunk was there. He was kinda like my link to you, so it would've been weird without him there."

Keith hummed and stared down at the table. "Besides my coffee, what do you see in me?" He asked.

Lance smiled. "I liked how you never fell for my shit and loved to challenge me. My energetic attitude clashes with yours; it was fun to mess with you. And I knew that you being an ass didn't mean you didn't like me; it's kinda the opposite, actually." Lance replied with a smug grin. He took a sip of his drink.

"That last part is... questionable," Keith grumbled to himself. "So you turned to Hunk for advice on how to ask me out?"

Lance nodded. " I got Pidge in on it too; she came up the plan. I hella procrastinated putting the plan into action, but it all worked out." He said with a wink.

Keith rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I fell for it..."

"That would've ruined the plan! And you probably wouldn't have said yes."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Yes! Lance exclaimed. "We wouldn't be enjoying this nice food together if you had said no," he replied. "...Are you not enjoying this?"

"I didn't say that..." Keith placed his hands on his face. "Hangin' with you isn't as bad as I reckoned. You can actually be somewhat pleasant."

"That's nice to hear. I'm really enjoying this, too."

"...Shut up," Keith grumbled to his plate as he took another bite of his food.

 

* * *

 

The minute Keith texted Lance that he had gotten home safely, he got a video call from Hunk. Hunk immediately assaulted him with every question imaginable. It felt like a police interrogation; Keith answered all of his questions, and Hunk looked satisfied with the evidence he had collected.

Keith utilized a period of silence to check his blog and post the pictures that he took earlier in the day. When he logged in, he saw that someone had sent him a message. Assuming it was his Smiley Face Anon, he opened it without much thought.

> _I think you're cute :) -starboi84_

"What the hell?" Keith thought aloud with a frown. 

"What is it? Is it the Smiley Face Anon?" Hunk asked.

"I don't know," Keith muttered to himself as he checked out the sender's blog. "They sent me the same phrase that the Smiley Face Anon sent when they messaged me that very first time. But it wasn't sent anonymously." He continued to sift through the blog. The person had reblogged almost every post Keith had uploaded. They only had one simple phrase in their description: "Lance McClain: The Tailor. Badass pilot and #1 with the ladies B)"

Keith closed the entire browser window. "I'm gonna call you some other time."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Yes. I... I'll call you later." Keith hung up the phone. He stared at the lone message in his inbox for a long while, shaking from pure anger. He violently typed out his reply:

_"FUCK YOU. YOU ARE A LYING PIECE OF SHIT. BURN IN A FUCKING FIRE."_

Keith crushed the "send" button, slammed his laptop closed and shoved it away from him. His attention was diverted to his phone. It had lit up from a notification. Hunk had texted him something. Keith ignored it. Minutes later, he received a message from Lance. He groaned aloud but opened the message anyway.

 

_> >  hey._

 

Keith rolled his eyes. 

 

_< < Fuck you. Go to hell you egotistical asshole. Don't fucking talk to me._

 

After Keith sent his message, he threw his phone across his room. Hearing it slam against the walls only made him angrier.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i literally always mention how much i suck at updating IM SORRY!!! i only have a week left of school so i should be able to get back on track over the summer...
> 
> i had to throw in a little bit of angst to ruin their sweet date because i have no soul. this may end up being a few more chapters than i had anticipated, which i guess is cool. more weird shit for you guys to read!!! ;)
> 
> hope you enjoyed this chapter! dont be afraid to let me know what you think.


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